Aspects of the present invention are directed to a participation tracking system and more specifically to a system for tracking individual participation in sustainability activities.
Individuals and entities are increasingly embracing the ‘green’ initiative by pursuing a sustainable lifestyle. Some industries are regulated and are required to report sustainability related data to a third party or government organization. Other entities voluntarily track and publish their sustainability report and carbon footprint in an effort to promote sustainability, or to otherwise benefit from a ‘green’ reputation. However, entities must rely heavily on their individual members to achieve their sustainability goals. For example, companies may enhance their sustainability ‘score’ through the conservation efforts of their employees. However, engaging members and tracking individual and group progress can often be difficult, cumbersome, and unreliable.
Individual users often express confusion and skepticism with regards to sustainability. Credible sources of sustainability information are sparse, often contradictory, and typically spread out over multiple disparate resources. Disjointed information makes personal sustainability efforts difficult to manage and track and often fails to encourage significant behavioral changes. Thus, traditional sustainability initiatives tend to result in only very minor or extremely long term benefits. Participation in such initiatives is difficult to maintain when users lack short term incentives.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a sustainability application that builds trust, encourages participation, and fits into an individual's lifestyle with limited disruption.